Obama calls for European help in Afghanistan

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama called Thursday for renewed European support in the war in Afghanistan, where U.S. and NATO troops face an increasingly violent battle against Islamic insurgents.

"America cannot do this alone," Obama said in a highly anticipated speech on U.S.-European ties. "The Afghan people need our troops and your troops, our support and your support, to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda, to develop their economy, and to help them rebuild their nation. We have too much at stake to turn back now."

Obama said the United States and its allies "must renew our resolve" in Afghanistan, which he visited on the first leg of his current overseas trip.